Chelsea are increasingly confident they will finally land Southampton’s highly-rated left back Luke Shaw at the end of the season.

The Blues, along with a number of Europe’s top clubs, have been monitoring the talented 18-year-old for some time but Shaw, who is a lifelong Chelsea supporter, was reluctant to leave St Marys as he didn’t want to be left on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge.

However, with Ashley Cole reportedly considering retiring at the end of the current campaign, Shaw is now confident he will get the playing time he desires should he make the switch to west London.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho has made finding a long-term to replacement for Cole one of his priorities and Shaw has now moved to the top of the list following his eye-catching performances for the high-flying Saints this season.

The youngster is seen as a future England international and won’t come cheap, having signed a new long-term deal at the start of the year.

But, according to the People, Mourinho is preparing to raise some of the funds by off-loading another young defender Ryan Bertrand to Liverpool.